


Basorexia

by paxfacere (flamiekitten)



Series: Zagnos / Hypzag Month 2021 [3]
Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Crushes, First Kiss, Inappropriate Use of Boons, Kissing, M/M, Oh, Pining, Surprise Kissing, includes artwork, kissing under the influence, no beta we die like zagreus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-26 03:01:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30099297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flamiekitten/pseuds/paxfacere
Summary: Basorexia(n.) a strong craving or hunger for kissing.Aphrodite's influence has a compelling effect on Zagreus' state of mind.
Relationships: Hypnos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Series: Zagnos / Hypzag Month 2021 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2194530
Comments: 12
Kudos: 88





	Basorexia

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [@HypZagMonth](https://twitter.com/HypZagMonth) event on Twitter. 
> 
> Inspired by the prompt: _Kiss_.

By lending him their aid, the gods and goddesses of Olympus bestowed more than just their powers upon the impressionable prince.

Like several artists all vying for the same canvas, they cast their marks upon him in both broad, dramatic strokes and precise detail work. In accepting their boons -- their divine strength, their awesome abilities -- Zagreus left himself wide open to slightly more... _subtle_ influences upon his personality. 

Athena's gift was that of clarity and focus: the battlefield spread out before him like a map, his opponents like tokens positioned on it. Strategy and planning, foresight and cunning; Zagreus could sense their movements and attack patterns even more keenly and rose to meet each attempt with flawless blocks, parries, and counters.

Demeter sharpened his determination into a cool, grim, edge that warred with the warmth of his own nature. His foes would freeze and then shatter, scattering like broken glass and insignificant dust. Sometimes Zagreus would become overcome with grief, with _rage_ as sharp and cold as ice, and the tears would freeze in place upon his cheeks.

Ares' bloodlust turned battle into sport. Vision clouded by a red haze, Zagreus would smash through hordes of enemies without hesitation, without concern for the numerous injuries he sustained and the bright ichor that splashed upon the tiles. All with a smile on his face; eager for the next fight, the next kill -- more, _more_.

And then there was--

The last of the Exalted were vanquished by a blast of Crush Shot, evaporating into a flurry of pink mist with an aborted cry. After a moment of brief silence _she_ arrived yet again, heralded by the sweet chime of a harp. He hadn't even brought her Eternal Rose along with him this time and yet there she was -- waiting for him at the end of every other chamber. 

\--Aphrodite.

The alluring glow of her boon cast soft light over the otherwise empty room, beckoning him with all of the appeal of a lover's gaze. Zagreus was already seeing the world through rose-tinted lenses, her other boons thrumming along with the flutter of his pulse in his chest. He smiled dreamily as he drifted over towards her marker, spear resting loosely upon one shoulder, and reached out to initiate the summoning. 

The moment his fingers made contact, Zagreus was instantly inundated with a euphoric rush of thoughts and feelings and smells and sounds. Most prominent were the soothing scents of lavender and the bubbly peals of delighted laughter, thickly overlaid with a warm, comforting sense of safety and comfort and home. His heart skipped a beat and he shivered, wondering why the giggles sounded so _familiar_ , when...

"... Well well _well!_ It seems as though we simply can't get enough of each other today…" 

One moment he was alone, and the next Aphrodite herself was there -- languidly draped over a nearby phoenix pillar with her chin propped up in her palms. Her long hair fell in rosy waves over her shoulders and outstretched arms, framing her body in such a way that her nudity was tastefully concealed. She smiled down at him, gaze half-lidded and (as always) mildly flirtatious, pink lashes fluttering. 

Zagreus nearly swayed on the spot, punch-drunk from adrenaline and the sheer wealth of emotions coursing through his body. He gazed up at the goddess, noting with some interest how… _solid_ she seemed. Normally, his visiting relatives lacked true presence down in the underworld. They shimmered in and out of focus like a mirage, unable to fully bypass Nyx's protective shroud over their domain. He could hear and just about see them, but they could barely even perceive him -- save for when he was gifting them with nectar, of course.

But today, his hands were conspicuously empty. 

"Oh, little godling -- you are so positively _cute_ right now that I could just _eat you right up_. Your heart must be absolutely _overflowing_ with love and affection to have called out to me so strongly!" 

Aphrodite sighed wistfully, reaching down as though to caress his face with a hand large enough to smother him entirely. She settled for extending a forefinger, gently tracing along his jawline with her painted nail. 

He could _almost_ feel it.

"L… Lady Aphrodite?"

She retreated again with a musical giggle, tapping her finger against her bottom lip as though deep in thought.

"Forgive me, dearest. I'm just so thrilled that we can finally have a little _heart-to-heart_ like this, you know? But quickly, quickly! I can already feel the _lovely_ Lady Nyx's embrace plucking you away from me and I'm afraid we don't have enough time to get right down to the _juicy_ details."

Zagreus rubbed at his cheek, reeling; he could still feel the ghost of her touch there. What in the world was she _talking_ about?

"Don't be shy, now! Who is it? Who has ignited the heart of our fiery little underworld prince? I simply _must_ know!" 

Now Zagreus was _entirely_ lost for words. He blinked up at the eagerly-awaiting goddess, lips opening and closing soundlessly, finding it difficult to focus when at the mercy of both her piercing gaze and the strength of her influence upon him. 

"You poor thing, you can't even bring yourself to say it out loud, can you? Here, let me help you. There can't be _that_ many eligible bachelors and bachelorettes down _there_ , surely?" She flourished as she spoke, as though painting her words mid-air. "Now, let me see… Could it be the fearsome Megaera? Or perhaps one of her, ahh, _darling_ sisters? Tell me -- are you still smitten over that adorable little Gorgon maid? Ooh! Maybe it's a bit of a crush, a bit of _hero worship_ , for dear, sweet Achilles? Although I'm not sure if _he's_ quite ready to-- Oh, _oh!_ Surely not our _grim_ little reaper, Thanatos? Now wouldn't _that_ be scandalous!" She giggled again, neatly covering her mouth with the back of her hand. "You _have_ to tell me, love -- am I _close_ , at least?"

Her words washed over him like the relentless tides beating upon the shore, wearing away a little more of his resolve every time. Each spoken name invoked a surge of emotions within Zagreus, chiefest among them being respect, admiration, grief, empathy, regret, and yes -- love. He did love them, all of them. They were his friends, his family, his--

There it was again. That lavender-and-dust scent, that infectious burst of laughter. Only this time they were accompanied by brief visual glimpses of white hair, dark skin, and golden eyes. 

Thanatos?But when had _Thanatos_ ever laughed like that? Unless…

_Oh._

Zagreus' sudden realisation must have been written all over his face, because Aphrodite immediately clapped her hands together with delight and leaned down towards him again. Their faces were now inches apart and her gaze -- those eyes as bright and shining as two pink gemstones -- was truly inescapable.

"I _am_ close, aren't I! Come on, little godling -- you can say it. On the count of three, ready? One… two… thr-- Ah!" 

Right before his eyes, Aphrodite began to blur around the edges and her body faded into transparency -- Nyx's shroud had finally caught up with them. Aphrodite glanced down at herself and tutted with obvious disappointment, before shrugging her shoulders and offering Zagreus a little wink.

"Time's up, I suppose. _Oh well_ , not to worry! I'll find out one way or another -- I always do." 

Zagreus released a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding and the slightly dazed smile on his face turned sheepish with relief. He could feel the frantic thrum of his pulse in his throat, the prickle of heat along his cheeks -- no doubt the wretched red of his ichor was seeking to expose him even further with its crimson blush. 

"My apologies, Lady Aphrodite, I'm afraid you caught me at a bit of a bad t--"

" _Anyway!_ " Aphrodite carried on as though she didn't hear him -- or perhaps she couldn't, anymore. "I'd better give you another blessing before I go, hm? Just a little something sweet for the journey ahead. My treat!"

Instead of offering the customary choice between three boons, Aphrodite pressed the tips of her fingers to her lips and then blew a kiss at Zagreus. The gesture took on a somewhat tangible form, like the burst of a Crush Shot attack, and settled over him as a sparkling, pink mist. It smelt overwhelmingly floral -- as though he had just shoved his head into a bouquet of surface flowers. Zagreus coughed and batted at the air in front of his face, but when the fog cleared Aphrodite was gone.

"Huh."

He didn't even know what boon she had given him.

Shaking his head with the (fruitless) hope of clearing it, Zagreus made a valiant attempt at returning to the task at hand: to clear the rest of Elysium. Gods help him if Hermes caught him dawdling about like this. 

"Right. Let's press on."

Darting from one chamber into the next, Zagreus smashed into the waiting cluster of Brightswords with barely a pause for breath. He whipped the spear around in a wide arc, slashing its blade against their midsections before they even had time to react and sending them all flying backwards. Chasing after two of them, Zagreus followed up his initial attack with a series of whip-fast stabs and brutal hits that quickly disintegrated the foes into their harmless Soul states. These too were quickly dispatched, sent hurtling back to Erebus with a final merciless thrust. Even without Ares' influence to help it along, the thrill of the fight quickly blazed up inside of him and Zagreus embraced it eagerly. The adrenaline brought him focus, clarity -- the drive to keep fighting no matter how overwhelming the odds.

Exactly what he needed right now.

One of the other Brightswords regained their composure faster than the rest and rushed at Zagreus, lashing out with its weapon and landing a lucky cut on his upper thigh. Zagreus hissed with pain, knocking the sword away with his spear before it could do any greater damage, and leapt to attack--

_So, you lost a duel to the death with an Exalted Brightsword, did you?_

lavender and laughter and golden eyes and golden blush and warm smile and white hair and 

_They're pretty much the best of the best, so don't feel too bad!_

dark skin and gentle snores and surprised yelps and helpful advice and warmth and comfort and

_It had to happen. But if it's any consolation, it'll probably happen again!_

Zagreus faltered, all of his hard-earned focus instantly in shambles as he stumbled upon the grass -- mind reeling, _reeling_ , with an influx of memories and sounds and sensations and _feelings._

He could recall each and every time they'd ever interacted. Every single word of advice _and_ the exact moment Zagreus had realised they'd all been given to him in earnest -- rather than just as flippant remarks. All of his delightful reactions to the gifts of nectar and ambrosia. His genuine smiles and euphoric giggles and the way his hands danced a mile a minute when he spoke. How he'd agreed, without a moment's hesitation, to put the entire House to sleep -- _as a favour to someone he could barely remember._

Zagreus' distracted smile was wiped clean off his face by an almighty smash to the side of his head by the flat of a blade. 

Stars blossomed and burst before his eyes and he staggered, the cacophonous ringing in his ears drowning out the sounds of conversation that were still playing on repeat in the back of his mind. Instinct saved him, body reacting faster than thought to bring up his spear and block the next incoming attack with mere seconds to spare. Metal screeched against metal, harsh and discordant, before the Brightsword disengaged and darted away to look for another opening. Two more took the opportunity to rejoin the fight, launching shockwave attacks almost in unison from opposite sides of the field. Zagreus _just_ managed to dodge the first, but the second slammed straight into his back and sent him sprawling, knees and palms colliding with the ground below. 

Spilt ichor stained the blue-green Elysium grass bright red: red as pomegranate seeds, poppy petals, and a thick, quilted cloak.

"Blood and darkness," he grunted through grit teeth, "what was _in_ that boon?" 

Rapid movement in his peripherals forced Zagreus into action and he rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a downwards sword thrust that would have ended it all. Spurred on by yet another close call, he leapt back onto his feet and back into the fray. Muscle memory carried him where conscious thought could not, driving Zagreus on the offensive and taking out most of the remaining Brightswords along the way. 

With his enemies' ranks dramatically thinned out, it became easier to concentrate again; Zagreus could pour his dwindling focus into one-on-one combat without fearing a stab in the back. He threw a burst of Crush Shot and then followed it up by launching his spear, pinning down the final fleeing Soul and vanquishing it. 

All became still and quiet. Zagreus breathed out a slow exhale, resisting the urge to grin, and reached out his hand to call back his weapon.

That's when the arrow struck.

He had to hand it to them, those Strongbows were uncannily accurate. Zagreus stared blankly down at his chest, down at the vibrant pink arrow buried right to the cyan fletching in the spot where his heart was now fluttering weakly. He staggered backwards, spear slipping from loose fingers to land soundlessly upon the grass. The world closed in around him. His vision narrowed to a thin, black-framed line. His hearing reduced to the fading beat of his heart -- and the barest whisper of a familiar voice:

_Next time, if you don't stand around like you're doing here right now, maybe you won't make such an easy target!_

Zagreus laughed -- "maybe!" -- and then he died.

As he drifted down the River Styx, so too did he drift in and out of consciousness. 

His divine powers of regeneration were hard at work: knitting together torn muscles and split skin, smoothing over cuts and bruises, and breathing life back into failing organs. By some rare act of mercy, Zagreus was sheltered from the majority of the pain by his semi-comatose state. 

Normally, those occasional moments of lucidity would be consumed by contrasting, yet complementary, feelings of disappointment and determination. He would take advantage of this temporary peace to think through -- as Achilles had taught him -- everything that had happened leading up to his death, step-by-step. He would turn over every encounter in his mind, finding something to learn from his mistakes, until eventually Zagreus would arrive back at the House -- if not refreshed, then at least _resolute_. Ready to try again.

This time, he dozed. 

His dreams were piecemeal and inconsistent, flitting from concept to concept and blending together a mixture of fact and fiction. Conversations that had definitely happened spiralled past their natural endings, transforming the mundane into elaborate scenarios that were the stuff of daydreams and outright wish fulfilment. Shared jokes and casual touches, fingers twining together or carding through hair, the taste of honey-sweet nectar upon their lips and tongues. They would walk together through the House, the lounge, the gardens. They would lie sprawled together upon the grass and bask -- not in the light of the sun, but in each other's company. 

He was carried downriver through the underworld, far quicker than he could ever tackle it on foot -- though time often became a meaningless blur in this land of perpetual night. Zagreus floated past the lowest depths of Tartarus and into the outskirts of the House. He was tugged beneath the surface and then at last delivered to his destination -- emerging, fully healed and with a mighty gasp, from the Pool of Styx. 

Burning soles made contact with the tiles and Zagreus rose, water dripping from his skin and clothes as he broke free from the Pool. He ascended the short flight of stairs, not bothering to grab a towel from the rack and instead opting to simply push his fingers through his hair in the customary way. The blood-red droplets collected at his feet, trickling back down the steps as though magnetised to the river. 

Zagreus strolled forwards; a man of purpose and intent. Vague thoughts -- _memories? dreams?_ \-- danced through his subconscious, conjuring images of lips painted gold with nectar and spread wide with smiles and parted gently with readiness to kiss, kiss, _kiss_.

The train of shades parted soundlessly to let their striding Prince past, exchanging glances of both curiosity and confusion. Hypnos -- wide awake for once -- glanced up from his work and beamed, waving at Zagreus with quill in hand.

"Welcome back! Cutting the line again I see, but I _suppose_ I can make an exception for y-- _mmmmn!_ "

Zagreus reached up to lovingly cup Hypnos' face in his hands -- before pulling him down into a kiss.

The rest of his words were lost, buried somewhere in the meeting of their mouths, sleepy eyes blown wide with evident shock. And then Zagreus gently brushed his thumbs along his cheekbones and tugged so _sweetly_ at his bottom lip that Hypnos couldn't help but melt into the moment. Eyes closed, noses brushed, breath mingled -- and there it was again, only real this time: lavender, _lavender_. 

Zagreus sighed deep with satisfaction, fingers sliding up into the softness of Hypnos' white curls at the back of his neck and tangling themselves there. His mouth was warm, soft, and pliant. Zagreus took care to explore it in full, shaping their lips together over and over again in every possible way. Scroll and quill slipped free from slack fingers and Hypnos whimpered with delighted disbelief, lips parting eagerly, hands shaking as he slid them up and over Zagreus' chest. They eventually came to rest on his shoulders -- gingerly at first, before gripping like a lifeline. 

Like he was afraid it could all just disappear. 

When Zagreus did eventually break the kiss, he did so with a smile. Nudging the ends of their noses together, he pressed a few more tender pecks to the corners of Hypnos' mouth and then to his bottom lip, memorising all the ways they fit together. Hypnos giggled nervously -- _oh_ , it was even more endearing than memory had implied -- and swallowed hard, eyes darting off to the side.

"So! Uh. Is kissing the new 'hello' or something?" 

Zagreus chuckled breathlessly, playing with an errant curl as he murmured against Hypnos' soft, golden-tinted cheek.

"Why, would you like it to be?" 

He received a squeak of a reply, hands gripping his shoulders tight.

"Hahaha, don't say that! I could get used to this _way_ too easily!" 

" _Good_."

Zagreus kissed him again -- as though to seal the deal. 

The rumour mill was already churning, gossiping shades passing on the news of this latest development with both relish and a total lack of shame. Doubtless, it would inevitably reach the ears of the chief rumour-monger -- Hermes himself. From there, it might eventually travel onwards to the golden gates of Olympus, to the rose-scented instigator of this entire, very _public_ display… 

" _ **Boy.**_ I would appreciate it if you ceased _distracting_ my employees while they are supposed to be _working_. Honestly, what do you take this House for? The Temple of Acrocorinth? _Get out_."

Hypnos yelped and promptly shoved Zagreus away, darting down to pick up his abandoned scroll and quill faster than Zagreus had ever seen him move before. He was treated to the briefest glimpse of his flustered face, cheeks a blazing gold, before Hypnos buried himself entirely behind his work.

"Sorry Master, Mister Hades, Sir! Won't happen again. See you later, Zagreus, thanks for stopping by!" 

Zagreus cared very little for his father's threats at the best of times, but doubly so now that he was still reeling from both the lingering effects of Aphrodite's mystery boon _and_ from that fact that he could still feel the imprint of Hypnos' lips upon his own. He rolled his eyes at Hades; not that his father could see the flippant gesture from behind the towering piles of parchments and contracts that covered his desk. If it were down to him, he'd be taking Hypnos by the hand and leading him off somewhere more private -- queue of waiting shades be damned. 

But Hypnos _did_ care, and Zagreus wasn't about to jeopardise his fragile career even further.

"Alright," he said with a sigh and a shrug, "until my next untimely death, Hypnos." 

He turned on the spot, prepared to stroll right on past his father's desk with his head held high, when a frantic slapping at his upper arm stopped him in his tracks.

"Wait, _wait!_ " 

In an unexpected display of strength, Hypnos wrenched him backwards and almost completely off balance before catching him in an one-armed embrace. Obscuring their faces behind his unfurled scroll, Hypnos worried at his bottom lip -- unsuccessfully hiding a giddy smile. 

"An arrow to the heart, huh. What, didya have a run-in with Eros or something? _Jeeze_." He leaned in, stealing another, quick kiss. "There's one more -- for luck! Maybe try dodging next time? Though I'm not gonna complain if you end up hurrying back home for round two of _this!_ " Hypnos went for a second kiss, then a third, a fourth -- peppered all over Zagreus' lips and cheeks and forehead in quick succession. On the verge of planting a fifth, Hypnos stopped and his expression faltered. "Oh wow, that was really presumptuous of me. I don't even know if you _want_ to--" 

"Yes," Zagreus answered before Hypnos even had the chance to finish speaking, taking the opportunity to claim that fifth kiss, "yes, I do." 

Hypnos beamed and bumped their foreheads together briefly, humming his contentment.

"Mmmm well, alright then! Better hurry up and die so we can give this another shot -- but maybe _not_ in front of your dad, huh? Otherwise you might have to come and find me after I've been fired and sent down to Erebus and I don't think that--"

" _Ahem_." 

The two gods peered over the top of the scroll to find that the queue to be checked in had near enough tripled in size, fronted by some rather disgruntled shades.

"Ah, whoops! Can't keep the line waiting, it's time for you to go!" Hypnos shooed Zagreus away with the feathered end of his quill, droplets of ink splattering upon the parchment. "Oh, and uh -- remember to thank the Lady Aphrodite for me, won't you?" 

"Wait, how did you--"

"Next, please -- _ooh_ , yikes! Says right here that you were poisoned to death by your own brother, that's gotta sting. They say you can't choose family, but I bet _you're_ wishing you'd been given a say in _that_ one, hm?" 

Mouthing _go!_ out of the corner of his mouth, Hypnos gave Zagreus a look that promised _later_. 

Taking it to heart, Zagreus at last peeled himself away from the hallway and resisted all urges to cast lovelorn looks back over his shoulder. He sidestepped into the lounge, neatly avoiding both his father and Nyx -- only to find himself at the centre of attention of a dozen prying shades. 

_Well_ , he thought, _I might as well get some practice in with telling the story_. 

  


**Author's Note:**

> Artwork by my wonderful wife, [@obernatos](https://twitter.com/obernatos).
> 
> This fic was based on a wonderful idea by [@zaghypnos](https://mobile.twitter.com/zaghypnos/status/1364046373469913090).
> 
> Gold leaf dividers from [The Style Index](https://thestyleindex.com/product/gold-foil-leaf-border/).
> 
> **Please note** I am currently not looking for criticism, constructive or otherwise, on my work. This piece was written for free, for fun, and to help spread the word about this lovely ship. Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading. ♥


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